Good Answer
by SugarHighNutcase
Summary: A Circle of Magic fic. SandryBriar oneshot. There were only Sandry and Briar at that moment, and nothing else mattered. Read and review.


Good Answer 

By SugarHighNutcase

**So, this is my first Tamora Pierce fanfic. I adore the Briar/Sandry pairing, and as I was re-reading _Sandry's Book_, I decided to rewrite a scene or two. (grins) The italic sequences are direct quotes from _Sandry's Book_. The rest is my own. Enjoy!**

_...She was about to go have a closer look when a dog's yelp, followed by human laughter, got her attention. Looking around, she saw an alley where six boys, fairly well dressed, were bent over something._

"Stop that!" she cried. Running over, she seized a boy. "How dare you!"

Her captive- a big youth in a green tunic- slammed her, knocking her onto a pile of refuse. Scrambling to her feet, Sandry hit another lad. He tried to kick her, but managed somehow to tangle his foot in her skirt. Grabbing his ankle, she twisted, dumping him onto his back. She seized his neighbor, trying to drag him away from the others. That boy caught one of her braids and yanked hard. With a scream that was as much rage as pain, Sandry bit his arm. He yelled and punched her in the stomach.

Suddenly, Briar was there, grabbing the boy who'd punched her and throwing him on the ground. Sandry got to her feet quickly, and ducked a blow from one of the boys, just as Briar twisted out of the reach of another. Back-to-back, Sandry and Briar stood in the midst of the six boys, all of whom looked quite angry at this point.

"What do you think you're doing, Sandry?" Briar demanded. Two of the lads made for him, and he quickly swung his fist out at the first, hitting him square in the eye. No longer sure of what Sandry was doing, Briar blocked a blow from the other lad, as the first picked himself up, and another came to help.

It wasn't until Briar heard a small scream from behind him that he looked around. He got a brief glimpse of Sandry kneeling on the ground, holding her side, before someone hit him- hard- from behind. Briar saw stars for a moment, then he lashed out blindly, hitting anything and everything his fists could find. He was somewhat aware of the commotion behind him (it seemed Sandry was still fighting back), but Briar could barely focus on what he was doing, let alone what others were doing.

And suddenly, the boys were gone. It was eerily silent, as though they had not been there at all. Briar struggled to stay standing; he swayed for a moment, held onto the wall for support, then composed himself and turned around.

Sandry was hunched over on the street, one hand pressed firmly against her side, the other holding her head. She looked exactly like Brair felt- bruises forming, patches of dirt on her face, rips and tears in her clothes, a few minor cuts here and there. It was then that Briar noticed the blood seeping from the hand Sandry had on her side.

Worriedly, Briar knelt beside the girl, who had seemingly forgotten his presence. "Sandry?" he said quietly. She looked up at him, only just realizing he was there. "Sandry, lemme look at it." Briar didn't have to say what it was; he knew, and Sandry knew. Briar held the noble's gaze for a moment, and when she didn't move, he grasped the hand that held her side.

Sandry gasped, and Briar winced. "C'mon, Sandry, I've been in scraps like this before. Just let me see it, I can help."

Sandry merely shook her head, and held on tighter. Briar smiled wryly. "Fine, then," he murmured. Briar forcefully pulled the girl's hand away, and was startled to see the blood that gushed from her wound. Her clothes had a reddish stain around the wound, and it was steadily getting worse.

"Oh, Sandry," Briar breathed. "Did one of them have a knife?"

Sandry finally found her voice. "I'm alright, Briar. It's not that bad." But Briar, hearing the quiver in her voice, would not be fooled.

"C'mon, Sandry, let me help you." Briar pulled the sticky, wet cloth away from the wound. Pulling out the handkerchief Sandry had given him, he began to clean away some of the blood. Finally examining the wound, Briar saw that it was not very deep, or large. But it was bleeding heavily, and he'd have to fix that, he decided.

Briar took off his shirt and pressed it gently, but firmly, against the wound. "To stop the flow," he told Sandry. "I'll clean it properly when we get to Discipline. It'll have stopped bleeding by then." Sandry smiled at the boy, who couldn't help but smile back. "Just hold this tightly against your side, at least until we get back, alright?"

She nodded, not taking her eyes from the now-shirtless boy. He grinned, stood, then pulled the small girl to her feet. Holding on to her, as they started to walk back to Lark and Rosethorn, he asked her, "Sandry, what exactly were you doing that made you get into trouble like that?"

Sandry stopped abruptly and looked around. Facing a bewildered Briar, she said, "Those boys- they were hurting an animal. It was just a puppy!" She looked around frantically before spotting the animal sitting on the cobblestones beside her. It was grimy and bloody, but it sat there, wagging its tail happily. The moment Sandry looked at the dog, it barked. Sandry laughed, and Briar couldn't help but smile. Letting go of the girl, he stooped and picked up the puppy.

Sandry giggled as the pup proceeded to lick Briar's face. Briar grimaced, then laughed as well. "This is one lucky pup," he told the girl.

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_...Returning from a look outside, she discovered Briar was toying with some stray pieces of wool. He twisted it in his fingers._

_"What are you doing?" she asked as he added another tuft of wool to his string. "Your magic's with plants."_

_..."But that spinning looks interesting," he replied, grabbing bits of more wool. "Relaxing, like."_

_..."Sandry, will you teach me?" asked the boy, still trying to get his tufts under control. "If I can find this other stuff to spin?"_

_"I'm only learning myself," she pointed out. "And not very well."_

"Oh, c'mon, Sandry," Briar pleaded. "You're not bad."

Sandry smiled at the compliment, then nodded. "Very well, I could teach you, if you really wanted."

He grinned as he continued to add more wool to his string. "Thank you."

He continued to play with the wool for a few minutes. _"I give up," Briar announced with a sigh, putting his wool aside. "I hope I do better with plants for spinning."_

_"Having a spindle helps." Sandry crouched beside him, peering at a patch of wool on his shirt front. Pinching her fingers together, she pulled her hand toward her. "Come on," she ordered the wool. "Don't make me get stern with you."_

_"Hey! That tickles!" Briar cried as the fibers on his shirt wriggled._

_"You can't feel the wool," she retorted._

_"I can feel what you're doing to it, and it tickles."_

_...The wool drifted over the gap between her and Briar and landed on the hand she beckoned with. Sandry looked at it and beamed._

_"Good," said Briar. ..."Now can you get this bit on my britches?"_

------------

_...Scratching her shoulder, Sandry turned away from the boy. In a flash he leaned forward and brushed her neck with the straw. The scratching hand lifted; Sandry pinched her fingers together and tugged. The straw leaped from Briar's hold and went to her. She turned, blue eyes businesslike, and flapped the hand that held the straw. The bit of grass flew at Briar's face. He shrieked and covered his eyes with his arms. Undaunted, the straw hopped from his nose to his ears, tickling him mercilessly._

_Forgetting where he was, Briar tried to scoot away. Before he reached the roof's edge, Sandry dropped the straw and grabbed _the boy.

She pulled hard, and Briar suddenly found himself back on the sturdy roof, lying on top of Sandry.

The girl stared at him, and he simply stared back. Forgetting where he was- and that Tris and Daja were both staring at the two, open-mouthed- Briar leaned forward. The girl made no move to stop him as his mouth closed on hers.

Time seemed to stop for the two. There was nothing- no Tris, no Daja, nothing. There were only Sandry and Briar at that moment, and nothing else mattered. Lost in the kiss, the couple didn't notice as their housemates slipped away, smirking to themselves.

Slowly, Briar broke the kiss. Opening her blue eyes, Sandry looked up at the boy.

"Sandry..." he murmured. "I- you- what happened?"

"You kissed me," she replied. She noted that he still had not picked himself off her, and she blushed.

"I did, didn't I?" the boy mused, ignorant of the noble's discomfort. He looked back down at her. "But- you- you kissed me back."

"Yes, I did," she said simply.

"But- what does that mean?"

"I should think it'd be obvious," Sandry whispered. Briar stared into her eyes for a moment, then smiled.

"It was. And I- I'm glad." He leaned down again and softly kissed her lips. She allowed him to kiss her for a while, then pulled away.

"Briar, what does this mean?" she asked. "What does this make us?"

"A couple," was the answer. "If you want it," he added quietly.

She pulled him back down, kissing him lovingly. That was a good enough answer for him.


End file.
